LHR-BKK with BA

[The late XV105]

BA LHR-BKK return, World Traveller Plus as the company budget didn't run to Club this time.

Have already sussed out SeatGuru, but this will be my first time to BKK.
Will be a short, high octane, business trip, so anything to be aware of on arrival or departure to make life easier, please?


TVM

[SkyFish]

Crap airport, virtually no aircon (you really wont miss anything on the biz lounges) , take carry on only or it'll get lost, taxi drivers usu OK but they do charge tolls on parts of the road in so have some small change, traffic is really bad so leave plenty of time to get back from the delights of Patpong (street one or two) or wherever you are...

- Enjoy!

[ZFT]

Sorry Skyfish but rubbish – I fly in & out of Don Muang at least 2 times a month, have done so for 7 years or so and have NEVER lost my bag.
I don’t fly BA so can’t comment on their lounge although not an issue with Traveller Plus.

Firstly XV105 it does depend upon your departure date. The new Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport is ‘scheduled’ to open 29th September. If your trip is after this date, then goodness knows.
If before this date then Don Muang it is. The airport is nowhere near as bad as Skyfish paints it. Yes, it’s busy but I’ve never noticed any air cond issues. Arrival formalities, immigration, customs and baggage typically take no more than 45 minutes total, although like any other airport it is very dependant upon when you arrive.

BA use Terminal 2. From my experience your best bet for a taxi is to go up to the departure level and pick up a cab from there. This avoids the queues on the arrival level.
Once you are in the taxi make sure he puts the meter on (it should indicate 35 Baht) tell the driver to take the ‘Expressway’ and give him 20 Baht for the airport freeway toll otherwise he will take all of the side streets which will cost more, take longer and there is always the chance that he may get lost! The journey into the city takes approx. 30 minutes and cost between 175 - 200 Baht.

If you are coming within the next few weeks, bring an umbrella.

If you need anything else – PM me.

[Globaliser]

Originally Posted by ZFT

I don’t fly BA so can’t comment on their lounge although not an issue with Traveller Plus.

If the OP is a BA Silver or Gold, or OW equivalent, then they will have lounge access even if in WT+.

I believe the Qantas Club is actually the joint BA/QF lounge, so don't be misled by the name. It's between the central shopping area and the pier from which most BA and QF flights depart - if you are standing in the central shopping area looking straight out at the aircraft, you need to turn right and walk a fairly long way. The business class side is quite open, although there are no windows directly to the outside. A few showers and a couple of computers, plus all of the usual QF Club refreshments.

[The late XV105]

Thanks, guys.

I will be travelling mid-August, arriving on BA0009 at 15:15 local time and departing a few days later on BA0010 at 00:20. Unfortunately, this is the flight that will earn me BAEC silver status - I fly a lot, but usually VS or their alliance partners - so no lounge this time.

The Quantas comment is likely to be accurate as BA return the QF flights when using the ba.com booking engine. (15 minutes later than the BA flights, IIRC)

45 minutes for formalities ain't too bad; time it wrong at my frequent port of call, PVG, and you can spend a whole lot more than that!

Great taxi tip, thanks ZFT. WILCO.

Need to buy a new brolly; left mine in the gents at LHR T2 a few weeks ago!

Finally, I thought I was dreaming but I wasn't; planning my trip last night I was using the direct web sites of most major airlines that fly to BKK, plus Expedia and the like. Returning to ba.com a number of times in the process, sometimes my required outbound flight would be returned by the booking engine and some times it wouldn't; instead it would only show me the flight 24 hours before, despite my +/-0 days tolerance selection.

In the end I sussed what it was; using the engine from "Booking my flight" on the home page excluded my outbound flight and gave a price circa £200 more for the return leg. Booking the flight from a link on the timetable page allowed me to select my required outbound flight and gave the £200 cheaper price for the return leg. I tried several times having noticed, and got the same result every time.

[Bangkokeasy]

I note you are a first time visitor, coming off a long flight.

Don Muang airport is one of the most practical and easy to use airports in the world, once you know what to do and where to go. However, like Bangkok city, although harmless, it can be intimidating for first time visitors. I would therefore, recommend to take one of the "airport taxi limousines" which you can book at the counter in arrivals, after customs. This will cost you around 12 quid including tolls, as opposed to 3 quid for the meter taxi, but bear in mind that unless you are going to a major hotel, the taxi driver may not know where to go and likely will not speak or read english. The limousine will be a decent car and is hassle-free.

On the way out, arrive at least two hours before your flight at the airport. Around midnight is when most of the Europe-bound flights depart and is a busy time. BA also sometimes have additional security checks for the London flights, which can slow things up. There is plenty to do at the airport, airside, should you find you get through to the departure lounge quickly. To freshen up, for a small fee, you can use the common user CIP lounge facilities. I think these are located on the upper level in terminal 2. In terminal 1, there is a common user CIP lounge opposite the stairs down to gates 1-7 (you can walk through to terminal 1, remaining airside, as the two terminals are really two halves of the same terminal). Joining a long haul flight, I would recommend a massage at one of the many outlets, or perhaps a visit to the oxygen bar located just before the long travelator that takes you down to gates 51-55 (from where BA depart). - Ah yes, just bear in mind the massage places attached to the barber shops in the airport, you will probably be offered slightly more than you might expect! All the others are quite conventional though.

Welcome to Bangkok!

[TG345]

If you do decide on the meter taxi as opposed to the limo, the advice to go to the departures level is sound if there is a large queue for taxis outside arrivals.
However, bear in mind that the taxi drivers up there are aware of the situation downstairs. On many of my recent visits, I have found the drivers upstairs refusing to turn the meter on and asking 350-400 baht for Sukhumvit. Still cheaper than a limo though. Market forces!

[Tolsti]

Loads of good advice there .... Limo is the way to go though.... pm me if you want an email address... very quick response.
One thing to add..... when you first get some local money (Baht) take the first 500 Bt note and put it into a seperate section in your wallet. You will need it to pay the departure tax as you leave.... and they only take Baht and I don't remember the machines giving change either.
check out the weather here: http://www.weather.go.th/weather.php ...... and take an umbrella

[tezzer]

Mrs. Tezzer and I are going out next week, Monday from LHR on Thai. Fortunately we are going First class, so get a limo thrown in. Oh, it's only because I've got more airmiles than Capt. Kirk that I can do this. Still, Mrs. Tezzer's never been to the Far East before, so it should be an eye opener for her. Just hope none of the bar girls recognise me and give it the old "Yahoo Mr. terry across the lobby of the Conrad" !

[The late XV105]

Wow!
Thanks, All.

A veritable gold mine of information.

My host just offered to send a car to meet me at the airport, so that one's solved, but the departure tax advice is probably a saving grace; I made this mistake out of ignorance when leaving PEK for the first time. I queued for an age to check in, then had to queue for another age to pay my departure tax before rejoining a now even bigger check-in queue! Thank heavens the Chinese departure fee is now built in to the ticket; hopefully Thailand will go the same way in time.

Again, my thanks to All; I'm truly grateful and look forwards to the trip. Just a shame there'll be no time for some touristy stuff.

[TG345]

The departure tax machines will take either the 500 or 1000 Baht note, plus there are a couple of manned booths which will give change.

[christep]

And in BKK the departure tax payment is checked by a separate person as you go through to immigration, so you can do it after you check in.

[The late XV105]

Thanks, Both.

Noted.